There are several questions always asked by the public about personal 3D printing whenever they are exposed to the technology. They want to know:

How big of an object can I print?

Is there a way to get rid of those unsightly layer lines?

Why does printing take so long?!!

The answers have been sought by those making filament-based 3D printers:

Create a larger build volume

Print in even higher resolutions

Speed up the mechanical movements of the extrusion

But there's a problem. These factors are intimately related. If you print larger items, it takes vastly longer to complete. If you want higher quality prints, it takes much longer to complete.

That's the paradox. To improve key factors concerning consumers, you must compromise on the third. Conversely, if you speed up printing you typically reduce quality or size. There is no way to solve the problem because the factors diverge.

What does this mean? We suspect it means there is a limit to what can be achieved with plastic extrusion technology. And we also suspect current machines are beginning to approach those limits.

This also means there's an opening for innovation to fill the gap between current tech and consumer desires.

Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has been writing Fabbaloo posts since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!

Fabbaloo is a daily online publication focusing on the 3D print and additive manufacturing industries. We provide deeper analysis of developments in current and future technologies as well as corporate matters. If there’s something happening in 3D technologies, especially FDM, SLA, SLS and Stereolithography, we’ll have an opinion about it.